PolitiFact; The tight Wisconsin US Senate race

Author: Archie Newman Nov 03, 2016,

Nov 03, 2016, 1:18

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The tighter margins follow an October uptick in spending by Johnson and his allies, including a series of positive spots - such as one featuring him changing a diaper - that have helped increase his favorability among Wisconsin voters.

[Millions pouring in to Wisconsin for Senate race ads] Feingold declined Tuesday to go after Comey for his letter to Congress, which said "the Federal Bureau of Investigation can not yet assess whether or not this material may be significant" and that it's unclear how long the review of the emails will take.

Johnson, a businessman who helped build a plastics manufacturing company and ran his first race for office in 2010 against Feingold, is the real outsider, said Johnson spokesman Brian Reisinger.

Johnson has always been seen as one of the most vulnerable GOP Senate incumbents this election cycle.

Other polls published in the past two weeks show Feingold with larger leads, ranging from five to 12 points, but the Marquette Law Poll holds a special hallowed status among Badger State political watchers, and the new result comes just as Democrats and Republicans alike have pumped new money into a race that seemed to be all but off the national board in September.

An already close race between Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson and Democratic challenger Russ Feingold is down to just a one point gap between the candidates.

"He's receiving a great amount of scrutiny right now", Baldwin said.

Feingold, of Middleton, also declined to criticize FBI Director James Comey, as many other Democrats have done, for telling Congress on Friday that the bureau is reviewing newly discovered emails that may be relevant to its prior investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she was USA secretary of state.

In contrast, Kaine said, Clinton was a candidate who has experienced personal defeat and discrimination and forged ahead to meet her goals anyway, instead of throwing tantrums as he said Trump has done and would do as president.

In 2012, Wisconsin had not only the presidential race and a U.S. Senate race, but also a recall election for Walker earlier in the summer.

Wisconsin hasn't gone for a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan in 1984, but Trump has made a concerted effort to win over Wisconsin voters. Comey said he had not yet reviewed the content of the emails, which were sent by Clinton aide Huma Abedin. He said Johnson wants people to think the spending means the race is close. He says the spending is a sign that Johnson is closely aligned with corporate powers and they're trying to save him at the last minute. "I want people to work like we're down by a couple points", Feingold told reporters Tuesday.

Gov. Scott Walker does plan to attend the Trump rally, while House Speaker Paul Ryan will be out of state campaigning for other House Republicans.

In another ad launched Tuesday, the Reform Wisconsin Fund goes after Feingold for his support for the Iranian nuclear deal.

Clinton's campaign also launched its first Wisconsin television ads of the campaign on Monday in Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay. Johnson's campaign and supporters have spent about $7 million on ads since Monday.

Both candidates will benefit from ads funded by outside groups, and each side says the sudden flow of cash is a sign the other is flailing.

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